Grab a fork, and tag along!

Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m super excited for the holidays this year! It feels as if December snuck up on me, and I’m not ready for the holiday season, but nevertheless, I’m excited for the end of the year.

We’ve already started the celebrations with an annual trip to the Toronto Christmas Market, which has become a tradition for my husband and I. It started the first year we started dating, and now it has become an annual tradition!

Any holiday gathering, really any social gathering, has to have lots of food involved. For my family and friends at least, getting together for any celebration has to involve good food. It’s no fun otherwise.

What I also enjoy about the holidays is the planning that goes around it, what type of food to serve, which recipes I get to try! It’s not everyday I have so many guinea pigs around me of course! Jokes aside, something about food, brings people together. In many cultures it is rude to not serve any food or drinks to guests even if they just drop by unannounced. If you go over to someone’s house, chances are you’re bringing them food. We associate certain foods with certain celebrations, cookies around the holidays, ice cream for summer, hot tea on rainy days

I often bring around baked goods for my friends whenever I meet up with them – to the point where now I get requests of saving a cookie from the last batch I posted on Instagram for the next time I see them!

Which brings me to this cookie. I was craving some chocolate chip cookies, but wanted to make them festive given my mood after the Christmas Market. Candy canes are just such a festive treat. I’ll be honest I never eat candy canes as is. Occasionally, I melt one in my hot chocolate, or sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top of holiday goods, which always adds to the flavour, so why not add them into the cookie batter!

I love soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies! The mix of brown and white sugar combine to make this cookie with a perfect balance of soft, chewy, melt in your mouth, chocolatey goodness, and the candy canes provide just a touch of crunch to make the cookies festive. The mint in the candy canes also complement the chocolate in the cookies, kind of like a peppermint hot chocolate!

The batter comes together really quickly. It uses melted butter, so baking can be a last minute decision – no need to wait around for the butter to soften up. Once you make the batter, divide up the cookies into dough balls, and then pop them back in the fridge for at least a couple hours (ideally at least a day). The cookies bake a lot better once they’ve had a chance to chill in the fridge.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, plop the cookie dough balls onto a baking tray and then get ready for your kitchen to smell like heaven!

If you don’t get a chance to make this recipe before Christmas, they would also be a great way to use up any leftover candy canes in January!